Judging by the amount that British people moan about it, you’d think rain was some sort of chronic misfortune inflicted upon the country by malevolent cosmic forces, rather than an inevitable part of the ecosystem in a green and pleasant land.
And as for cycling in the rain, this strikes most people as unmentionably ludicrous. The other day when I told someone I had arrived by bicycle in the rain, they looked at me like I was some sort of weather masochist.
Fair enough, getting wet and cold isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that you don’t have to get wet and cold while cycling. Just as the lowly umbrella saves Britain’s walkers from wetbumageddon, a humble pair of overtrousers completely nullifies wet weather.
To state the bleedin’ unobvious, if you want to stay dry while cycling, you just stick overtrousers on over your trousers, put a raincoat on, get on a bike and ride.
I bought my overtrousers for £20. They’re ‘breathable’ – which basically means I don’t get too hot while I’m wearing them – and they slip easily over my shoes.
So while other people are scurrying along the footpath peering under the rim of a dripping umbrella, or sitting in a massive traffic jam staring at their car’s windscreen wipers, I get to enjoy the beauty of cycling in the rain: the brooding sky, shop windows like stained glass, and black rivers flowing down the street.
